Dao De Jing
by LycoX
Summary: In his never ending struggle to be his own man separate from the Queen family and all that it entails, and on the outs with Laurel, young Oliver Queen comes across a woman who just may end up showing him a different path.
1. The Encounter

**Dao De Jing**

 **Chapter 1**

 **The Encounter**

 **Disclaimer: I've been wanting to do this AU where Oliver meets Shado a few years before the island of Lian Yu for awhile now but haven't for whatever reason. But when I got a guest review in 'CSIs And Lawyers' suggesting I do a full on story with the two, I decided to finally run with it. However, don't expect frequent updates due to my other projects unless I'm just in the mood to ensure somewhat frequent updates. And no, I haven't forgotten about 'Quirks', I will be getting back to that very soon! Now, on with the show!**

* * *

 **A Club**

"Dude! What is with you tonight!?" Asked one Tommy Merlyn just loud enough to be heard over the loud music as he and his best friend and brother in all but blood, Oliver Queen, sat down at the club's bar where the bartender made and served drinks and requested their own.

Both respectively were the sons of two of the richest families in Starling City, Washington. Oliver's family owns and runs Queen Consolidated with his father, Robert Queen, as the head of it. Tommy however, his father, Malcolm Merlyn, is the head of Merlyn Global and like the two of them, their fathers are best friends as well. Though where as Robert is a loving man, Malcolm is a cold sort of man after the loss of his wife years ago that Tommy honestly can't stand and wants to be nothing like him. Even wishing more than once that Robert was his true father instead of Malcolm. Both boys had come to the club tonight to have a little fun and escape reality for a few hours. Tommy watched as Oliver agitatedly blew out a breath before speaking again. "Those girls were all over you and yet you're not even trying to score like you normally would!"

"Yeah, I know! I'm just… I'm just not interested, man!" Shot back the dirty Blonde haired man in an agitated manner.

Which was a weird thing in and of itself as Oliver loved spending time with the ladies of Starling. Though he had certainly tuned it down a tad after he started dating Laurel aside from a moment here and there. "Did you and your dad get into it again, bro?"

Oliver just shook his head as the bartender handed him a drink, one that he quickly drank and requested another. "No, Laurel, man. We got into it again."

"Seriously? That's like the 5th time in three weeks!"

Unfortunately, it wasn't even really an exxageration either as the two had been arguing more than usual lately and Tommy was pretty damned certain the two were headed for another break up. The two had even been together for roughly 3 years, having gotten together in their senior year of high school. Oliver just sighed in that agitated manner of his. "Yeah… Same shit too. I'm not serious enough about anything and I need to be if I expect to get anywhere in life as I can't expect to get by on good looks and my family's money and blah blah blah." Grumbled the young man sourly.

"Never mind the fact I've told her more than once I want nothing to do with the family company and all that shit. That I want to be my own man. Might as well be talking to a brick wall like my parents for all the good trying does me."

Tommy frowned at his best friend as he knew Laurel was highly goal oriented and tended to not see certain things unless you really threw it at her because of that orientation. "So did you two break up again?"

Oliver just shook his head. "No, not yet. I walked out before things could get worse between us. And joy of joys, daddy Lance was around too." Informed the young man sourly.

As that asshole just couldn't leave things well enough alone. Tommy winced in sympathy for his best friend as the animosity between Oliver and Detective Lance was practically legendary at this point. Even before Ollie and Laurel started dating the two were at odds and when the two teenagers got together, things just got worse. "Man… I'm sorry to hear that."

"Not your fault, buddy, but thanks anyway."

"So why not just lose yourself in a few girls?"

"Like I said before, not interested, buddy. And even if I did, it'd only be a temporary escape and then I'd be right back where I started." And that would just suck even more.

A nod of understanding came from his best friend. "That… That actually makes sense."

"I have my moments." Muttered Oliver somewhat dryly.

Tommy chuckled and slapped him on the back as a rather beautiful girl came past the two of them and Tommy, being Tommy, couldn't let an opportunity to pass. "Ooh, would it make me a terrible friend to go after the really hot girl that just came by us?"

"Nah, I'll be fine on my own. No need in both of us being miserable."

"Thanks, buddy!" And with that and a pat on the shoulder, Tommy was off to mingle with the girl whom had caught his eye.

"Troubled minds often make for a troubled road, finding a peaceful solution allows for a less troubled road to travel upon."

Oliver's head quickly turned to his left in confusion and saw a dark haired girl putting down her drink. "I'm… I'm sorry?"

His confused response had her turning towards him and the Billionaire Playboy couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful looking she was. And noticing she was perhaps Japanese or Chinese or of some other type of Asian ethnicity. "I'm, I'm sorry, I couldn't help overhearing your conversation with your friend." She told him with a small blush on her cheeks.

"Oh. So that's where the weird fortune cookie saying came from then?"

"Something like that. But none the less, it is true."

Oliver looked at her doubtfully before shrugging. "Right. I'll uhh… I'll keep that in mind."

The mystery woman nodded at him and the two didn't speak for a short time as both drinked their respective drinks. Her's being water while his was Whiskey until he chose to break the silence between them, finding himself curious as to what sort of fortune she'd have for him that might help him. "So… What would you have in mind that would help get me off the rocky road or whatever?"

"Well, don't expect me to fall in bed with you in order to ease it for a time as such a thing is not my way." Informed the girl bluntly and causing him to chuckle and having an idea that aside from hearing his conversation with Tommy, that she was probably somewhat aware of who he is in Starling.

Either that, or had been played before by other men. "Any other time, I'd be taking you up on that challenge." He told her semi-seriously with a short lived grin.

His mystery friend regarded him for a moment before speaking. "I would suggest finding a way to get through to this… Laurel, that you are unhappy with how things in life are. But without causing some sort of trouble that would possibly burn a bridge as the saying goes." She told him and he gave that some serious thought for a short time.

"And what would you have to say in regards to parents who want certain things for you that you yourself don't want?" Wondered the young man curiously after several minutes.

"I would say much the same thing. You are stuck on two roads at once, but are finding yourself unable to go anywhere because of this. You must find a way to go in the direction that you want. How that is achieved, I'm afraid I couldn't give you any advice on as you'd have to find that out on your own."

"Damn." Somewhat mock grumbled Oliver, causing her to give him a small smile.

An idea then occurred to Oliver. "Do you wanna get out of here for awhile and talk somewhere quieter?"

The girl raised her eyebrows at him for a moment, causing him to raise his hands up in a defensive manner. "Hey, all I wanna do is talk, I swear."

She studied him for a moment and then nodded. "I can see you are being honest and in return, I too will be honest, I didn't even want to be here but a few friends from class wanted to be here."

"And so here you are, guess I might have to thank those friends of yours." She chuckled at that before finishing off her drink.

And once the two had let their respective friends know what was going on, the two made their leave in Oliver's car. Talking as they did so and if Oliver was being honest with himself, it was greatly refreshing and freeing. As this girl had no highly placed notions or judgements where he was concerned and he was liking it a lot. The fact he wasn't trying anything with her and nor was she trying anything was also kind of different but not in a bad way either. "You know… For someone so young, you've got a lot of wisdom." Remarked Oliver as the two walked chose to walk the block to her house sometime later.

His mystery friend just smiled and ducked her head for a moment. "Ba is something of a wise man so I suppose you could say it rubbed off on me."

He looked at her in coonfusion for a moment. "'Ba'?"

"Oh, yes, its Mandarin for 'father'."

"Oh, cool."

Idly, Oliver wondered how his dad would react to him calling him that for awhile and couldn't help but smile at it. "Something amusing in that head of yours?"

"Yeah, just wondering how my dad would handle me calling him 'Ba' is all." He told her honestly.

She smiled at that as the two continued their walk in a comfortable silence until he broke it. "So, where's Mandarin from if you don't mind me asking?"

"China. I lived there with my father and sister before he chose to move us here."

"You like it here?"

"Its… Become something of an acquired taste since we came here. Would I go back to China if given a chance? Possibly, possibly not. But here in America, I at least have more opportunity then I would have had back home."

"And having opportunity is an important thing." He remarked in return and gaining a nod in return.

"Mmm… That is true. And it appears we are here at my home."

Oliver blinked at that and realized they had stopped in front of a beautiful forest green two story house complete with a rather nice lawn. Neither all that impressive considering his life but it certainly looked more homely then his own home did. "Huh, looks rather homely."

"It can be. And thank you for tonight, Oliver."

"No, thank you. Tonight's been different in ways I'll probably never experience again so I'm gonna cherish it as much as possible." He told her seriously with a smile on his lips.

A smile she returned before making her way to her house. "Oh, wait! I never got your name!"

The woman turned back to face him on her porch and called out. "My name is Shado."

And with that, she made her way inside to her home after waving goodbye to him, leaving Oliver on his own and smiling to himself. "Huh, awesome name." He muttered to himself before walking away and back to his car to head on home.

Once there and showered up, he dropped onto his bed on his back with a release of breath and thought about the night he'd just had. Part of him even hoping he'd see Shado again at some point and hoped he could put some of her words to use where Laurel and his parents were concerned. "Man… I hope it works." Sighed the young Queen Scion to himself before falling asleep and thoughts of Shado on his mind.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: I don't know how long of a story this is going to be but I do know its more than likely going to be a very different one compared to what I usually write. Hopefully I handled things well in this first chapter as I realize Shado was probably a bit stiff where her dialogue was concerned. But considering the two just met and its not under horrible circumstances, its to be expected I suppose! And no, I'm not going to paint Laurel as a horrible person either, so no worries there. R and R!**


	2. Projects And Visits

**Chapter 2**

 **Projects And Visits**

 **Disclaimer: Glad folks seem to be liking this story so far! And Liza, I can't say I'm surprised that Shado's being forgotten about. Especially with the myriad of nonsense put out on here by the Olicity bunch. And to another guest reviewer, I don't intend for Oliver to do any Arrow related training in this story. He will when Lian Yu happens but I won't be getting into that as I only plan to do this story up to a certain point but of course, some plans are subject to change. Glad you're liking this so far however!**

* * *

 **The Next Day**

The good mood Oliver had been in when he had gone to bed had practically died a quick death once he woke up and checked his phone for messages and the like. Several messages being from an irate Laurel claiming he had cheated on her with some girl the Paparazzi had caught him with last night and expressing how hurt she was. Not being willing enough to get into an argument as soon as he woke up, Oliver chose to ignore those messages for the time being. Knowing that she'd just be unwilling to listen to him while in an unhappy mood and things would probably just worsen between them. A text from Sara asking if he wanted to hook up now that he and Laurel were on the outs again really didn't help matters any either and ignored that one as well. Tommy just congratulated him and said he was just glad he had gotten over his funk just enough to have a little foreign fun.

That was another thing the young man was unwilling to deal with at the time and instead, chose to head downstairs and grab a bite to eat. Not too surprisingly, he'd only find Thea and Raisa down in the kitchen. "Hi, Ollie!" Called out little Thea cheerfully.

"Hey there, Speedy!" Replied her big brother as he came by and ruffled her hair in a playful manner.

"Ollieeeee! That took mom and me almost an hour to get perfect this morning!" Fake whined the girl and causing him to shake his head in amusement.

"Well, at least I did it after you got out of school for the day, right?"

"Huh… When you put it like that, I guess its okay!"

Chuckles were had by Oliver as he went on to fix himself something to eat. "Ah, Mr. Oliver, your parents wanted me to inform you both that they will be home in a few days as both are on a business trip."

"And no parties, right?"

"How ever did you know?" Fake wondered Raisa, causing him and Thea to grin.

"Oh, you know, a lucky guess." Replied Oliver good naturedly while part of him felt relieved to know they weren't gonna be around for a few days.

As it meant he wouldn't have to deal with them and any possible issues. Raisa just smiled at him as Thea went back to what she was eating. _Guess that means I can do that little project of mine without mom or dad butting their noses into it._

Said project being one he intended for his dad to have on his upcoming birthday. Granted, for all he knew, his parents were already well aware of what he was doing and had just chosen not to say anything. But he hoped that wasn't the case however as otherwise, it would just suck in his view. And once he was done with eating, he'd speak up again. "Alright, I'll be out in the garage if anybody needs me. And Speedy?"

"Yeah, Ollie?"

"No wild parties without me, alright?"

"Aww, okay!"

Chuckles were heard from Oliver as he made his leave, feeling an itch in his hands to get started on his project. One he always got anytime a chance to fix something up presented itself to him as had been the case ever since he and his dad used to work on Airplane maintenance back when he was younger. When the world was a lot less demanding and his parents didn't expect so damn much of him. He'd spend the next few days on his project mixed in with spending time with Thea and occasionally Tommy whenever he dropped by. Thankfully Raisa would warn him about Tommy as he hadn't necessarily wanted his best friend to know about what he was doing. Not because he thought his best friend would make a joke of the whole thing but rather because it was just his thing and a small, selfish part of himself, wanted to keep it that way.

But then he hit a slight snag in his work, one that needed a bit of research and rather than Youtube it and listen to some long video, Oliver chose to go out in search of what he needed at a Library. "Hey Speedy! I'm headed out to the Library in the city, you wanna come with?" Asked the young man as he popped his head into her room thanks to her door being opened.

"Of course!"

Oliver smiled at that and told her he'd be waiting downstairs for her before heading on down that way. He'd also see that he had several more irate messages from Laurel and sighed to himself. _Guess I need to try and defend myself or 'Hurricane' Laurel will keep going._

He had a feeling Sara was probably egging it on while she was in town for a visit, making him wish somewhat that he hadn't been kicked out of his second college and could just easily avoid the whole soon to be face to face situation through that. But then he stopped as he got to thinking about College and groaned. _Mom and dad would use business as an excuse to hide the fact they are greasing the wheels to get me into another College._

Of course he hoped he was wrong but Oliver doubted it. _Guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it._

Sometime later saw him and Thea at the steps of the Starling Public Library. "Now what is it we say if and whenever someone asks why Oliver Queen of all people is in a Library?"

"That we're here to cure you of a bad boo boo?" Asked the young girl innocently and getting a mock glare in return that made her giggle.

"Oh! That you're cruising for chicks and using my love of Horsies to do it?"

He mock sighed at that, earning himself another round of giggles from the younger girl. "We'll… We'll go with that."

"Yay! Mom and dad really got worried the last time I used the bad boo boo thing."

Oliver had to grimace at that particular reminder and despite her young age, the older brother just knew that was why she brought that up. Dr. Lamb had been so damn confused and it'd been one of the few times in Oliver's life where he'd been genuinely embarrassed for himself! Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one of the family bodyguards and gave a faint nod in the man's direction and then gave one in Thea's direction, earning himself a small nod from the man and causing Oliver to feel relieved. Even though he knew full well that even if he hadn't of done that the man would have been watching over his sister regardless. But it made him relax some regardless. "Well then, knowledge awaits us!"

"Yay! But is it gonna stick in your head?"

"We'll see!"

"Okay!"

Sometime later saw Oliver walking out of the section on all things Vehicle related with several books in hand and make his way downstairs to meet up with Thea and get checked out when something caught his eye. Something that made him back up some and even head into one of the many sections of the Library he had never gone into. "Shado?" He asked in a voice mixed with uncertainness and hopefulness.

Startled, the girl looked his way and sure enough, it was Shado herself! "Oh! I can honestly say I was not expecting Oliver Queen of all people to be here in a Library." She told him somewhat teasingly as a way of greeting.

He grimaced before chuckling while wishing yet again he hadn't laid on his careless playboy act so damned thick. "Yeah, well, the place had something I needed and my little sister wanted to read about more Horses."

"I see." Shado replied with a touch of frost to her voice and making him frown at that.

"Something wrong?"

"Other then my face being seen on TV and in those trash tabloids after being caught with you? Not really."

Sure, it had happened before as her father was a well known figure for fighting back against what the Chinese Government had tried to pull with him and winning against them some years ago, but this had been a whole other thing and more annoying. A wince flashed across Oliver's face as she walked past him. "Aww crap, I'm sorry, Shado. I really am. If there was something I could do about it I would."

But as experience had taught him, trying to fight back with the truth didn't always work so well. And as his mother and Uncle Malcolm would say, that was when you either bribed or blackmailed those involved. Of course Oliver was never sure if they were joking or not but he never pushed on the subject as he figured it was best just to be left alone. Shado spared him no glance as she kept on walking to a nearby table and dropped the books she had in her arms. One of them catching his attention as it seemed Medical related. "I'm currently in Starling University for Pre-Med."

Shado's words surprised him as she looked up at him. "I correctly assumed you were going to ask and beat you to the punch, so to speak." Explained the girl.

"Oh, so not some kind of Chinese Mysticism thing then?"

A narrowing of the eyes was her response and he took a step back. "Whoa, sorry! And I really am, it wasn't my intention for you to get slammed on the news, okay? That's one of the more seriously crappy things about being part of a well known rich family like I am." Groused the young man apologetically.

"I… I suppose I can relate some. Though not to the extent you seem to face but it is part of why my family and I left China and came here some years ago." Informed the girl as she relented on her anger.

Which made him relieved as he didn't like the thought of this girl being unhappy with him thanks to something out of his control. "So I don't need to give ya any tips on how to handle the uninformed masses then?"

She shook her head and a small smile could be seen on her lips. "No, but I appreciate it anyway."

As it is, everyone on Campus was giving her a wide berth after breaking a table in half with her hand with almost seemingly no effort at all when one of the more pushy boys kept trying their luck. Which was another reason why she had come to the Public Library as she had needed a small break from it all. It was then that Shado noticed the books in Oliver's own hands. "Classic Cars an interest of yours then?"

"Something like that. Its part of a restoration project I'm doing as a gift for my dad."

Shado raised an eyebrow at that explanation. "I trust its not meant as some sort of way to gain your father's favor? Which you would use to your advantage where your troubles are concerned?" Asked the girl in a curious but non mean spirited manner.

Something that threw Oliver greatly off track. "I… That's-." But he was cut off from replying as Thea rushed up to him.

"Ollie! We've been here for forever! Can we go now!?"

"Oh? And who is this?" Fake wondered Shado as in recent days, she had come to know all about the Queens and this one in particular was considered to be the 'Princess Of Starling'.

"I'm Thea! But everyone but my mommy and daddy call me Speedy!"

Something about being too childish or something but little Thea never really cared so said explanation never really stuck around in her head. Shado smiled at the little girl as Oliver's brain rebooted. "Umm… Y-Yeah, we, we can go. I think I've got everything I need." Muttered the somewhat dazed young man.

Shado looked at him gave an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Oliver, I didn't mean to cause confusion for you."

He blinked at her. "Y-Yeah, no… No problem." Even if it did start to get him thinking more then he'd care to admit…

"Ollieeee! Can we pwease get Ice Cream!?"

Not getting an immediate answer thanks to the figurative rebooting of his brain courtesy of Shado, Thea began to impatiently try and drag her big brother with some success. "Bye lady!"

"Bye little one! Bye Oliver!" Returned the woman while being considerably less loud.

It wouldn't be until later that Oliver would slap himself upside the head for not getting Shado's number thanks in part to her question and 'Hurricane' Speedy'. Though Shado's questions to him where his father and his project were concerned continued to run about in his head. _Nah, I'm doing this cause I want too and cause I know he'll be happy with it. I mean… Right?_

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Well now, looks like Oliver's got some thinking to do! I know not much happened here and things between Oliver and Shado were meant to be a bit less intense but after thinking about it, I felt it worked better with how it was seen here. And its kinda crap that they only showed one instance of Oliver's repair skills on the show and then never did more with it. So I thought I'd do something myself as its a rarely explored area in the Arrowverse fandom. R and R!**


	3. Biting The Bullet

**Chapter 3**

 **Biting The Bullet**

 **Disclaimer: This takes place a few hours after the last chapter.**

* * *

 **Later That Night**

Later that night saw Oliver finally bite the bullet so to speak and head over to the Lance house. The whole time hoping like Hell Laurel's father wasn't there as that was the last thing he needed. Shado's words from earlier that day still somewhat on his mind and a reason for why he hadn't thought to ask either of the Lance sisters if their dad was home. The sight of only one car in the driveway did give him some home however once he got to the Lance home. _Or his car is in the garage and he somehow knows I'm coming and is lulling me into a false sense of security._

Oliver shook that ridiculous line of thought out of his head, or tried too at least since it stubbornly refused to go away! Taking a deep breath, he got out of his ride and made his way to the front door and rang the doorbell. Moments later saw the door opened by none other than Dinah Lance. "Oliver! What a nice surprise! We weren't expecting you!"

"Yeah, I uhh… I figured I'd come by without saying anything to talk with Laurel. Is… Is your husband here by any chance?"

If he sounded nervous and or worried? Well, he wasn't gonna think too much on that! Thankfully, it would seem some higher force was watching out for the young man as Dinah would tell him her husband's still on duty at the moment. Earning a sigh of relief for her words! "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that, Mrs. Lance. As the last thing I want to deal with right now is him glaring at me the entire time I'm here just to show his disapproval."

Dinah offered him a sympathetic glance as she invited him inside. "I am sorry you have to deal with that, sweetheart. I really am. Hopefully one day that man of mine will let up on you." She told him and he couldn't help but scoff at that.

"No offense, but I honestly have my doubts about that."

"None taken. Laurel's in her room and you're more than welcome to stay for dinner if you'd like."

"Take out kind of dinner?" He asked in amusement and she lightly swatted him on the arm.

"I can cook, mister! It may not be as good as Quentin's but I can still cook!" Lightly scolded the mother, causing him to chuckle some.

"Depending on how things go with your daughter, we'll see if I end up staying for dinner. Unless your husband shows up then either way, I'm probably gonna head out."

Dinah nodded in understanding and went back to what she'd been doing previously as he headed for Laurel's bedroom. Guessing Sara wasn't in at the moment considering her door was open and the light was off and feeling kind of glad about it. As he knew he was a point of contention between the sisters since Sara once told him she was certain Laurel got with him in the beginning because she knew it'd irk Sara. Whether or not that was just jealousy talking he wasn't ever sure of but so far, had left it alone. Once at Laurel's bedroom door, he knocked on it. " _Come in!_ "

The last thing Laurel expected was for Oliver to show up and she certainly was surprised when he opened her bedroom door and came in. "O-Ollie!? Well… I can honestly say I wasn't expecting you."

"Yeah, especially since I didn't call ahead or anything."

"Why didn't you call ahead? Especially when you wouldn't even know if daddy would be here when you got here."

Oliver just shrugged. "I figured if I did, you'd just tell me not to bother. So I saved myself some time. Thankfully your dad wasn't here or I'd be under his scrutiny right now."

Laurel just stared at him for a long moment before speaking. "And do you really think its a good idea to be here right now? Especially after ignoring me for the past few days? Doing God knows what with that girl you were with on the news? Or some other slut?" She asked of him in an acid manner.

He sighed in an agitated manner. "First of all, nothing happened with Shado. We just talked and walked to her home. Second of all, I haven't done anything with any girl except for hanging out with Speedy the past few days whenever Tommy wasn't around. Thirdly, you really should know by now not to believe every damn thing the Media reports about me." Finished the young man in annoyance.

"Considering your Playboy reputation and disregard for rules, can you honestly blame me? And do you really expect me to believe you about any of the first two things?"

"Maybe you don't know me as well as anyone, including you, thinks then. And if you don't want to believe me, you can either ask Tommy, my sister, or Raisa. I've barely left the mansion the past few days due to a little project I've had my attention on."

Laurel raised an eyebrow at his growing annoyance and found herself curious about the so called 'project' of his. "Oh? Finally decided to take College life seriously then?"

"Pfft, no. Let's just say its something I think my dad is gonna like. But the fact of the matter is, I am tired of you doing exactly like my parents, Laurel."

The look in his eyes told her he was dead serious but for the life of her, she wasn't able to let it go as she came up to him. "Can you blame me? You act like you don't care and it drives me AND your parents up a wall! We just, we just want you to be serious about things, Ollie." Laurel told him with a pleading look.

As really, he's a member of one of the most respected families in the city. His actions either reflected well or really bad for his family and he needed to grow up and accept that instead of playing around. It even had the ability to effect her in a good or bad way as well. Especially if the two of them (and she hopes it happens as she does love him) get married. Oliver just shook his head and stepped away from her, irritated that she still wasn't getting it. "You don't get it, Laurel. I DO care. But the fact of the matter is, what I want and what they want are two entirely DIFFERENT things. Its a two paths kind of thing and I'm unable to go down the one I truly want to go down cause of the damn conflict that can't seem to be fixed because my parents don't want to listen! Why can't you get that!? It should be easy to see even with my act!" He yelled out and even knocked off something from her dresser in his anger.

Which was something that was honestly a little shocking to see from him as anger like that wasn't a sight anyone was used to seeing from him. Laurel found herself rushing up to him and wrapping him up in a tight hug. Seeing, at least for now, that he was actually being serious about what he was saying. Even wondering how he managed to get as deep as he did with some of his words. He tried to get free but she wasn't having it. "I want to be my own person, Laurel. I don't want to be part of the family company." Oliver told her passionately as she continued to hug him.

It just wasn't for him, damnit! Laurel murmured apologies and other sweet things into his ear in the hopes of calming him down. She was glad he had finally told her any of that but a part of her thought he was just selling her a line to get back into her good graces. But she'd shake that line of thought off for now as he needed her support and nothing else.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Hmm… Wonder how well this is gonna turn out for the two? Only time will tell!**


	4. Some Bad News

**Chapter 4**

 **Some Bad News**

 **Disclaimer: Alright, so I need to address something as some moronic guest chose to act like a jackass in the reviews in this fic and slam someone I consider a friend. Said someone being Phillipe363 at that. Now its one thing to trash and shit on me but to do it to other writers? Hell no, I don't let that shit fly in my house. Because of said guest, I've also chosen to re-enable review moderation to ensure this type of thing doesn't happen again so you can all thank that guy for being an idiot. Furthermore, I can honestly say I do NOT give a single fuck about Batman. Especially Bruce Wayne's Batman. Because as far as I'm concerned, the character is over rated and in bad need of therapy.**

 **And let's be honest here, some of his villains need a good killing anyway cause not doing something more permanent to them just lets them come back to harm innocent lives later on in the future. Even Cops are sometimes forced to take a life so that others are safe. Doesn't make them sociopathic killers at all. And you should know by now that heroes can't always save everyone and if you don't know that by now, you clearly haven't been paying attention. If you don't like what I've said here, I honestly don't care and you can cry about it to someone else cause I am NOT interested. Now, with that out of the way, on with the story!**

* * *

 **Two Days Later**

After his visit to Laurel's, Oliver had been in a good mood for about two days since that night as it had allowed for them to get back on track with their relationship. His good mood would end up going down the crapper when his parents finally got home and had him come into the living room so they could discuss an important matter with him. Said words put a bad feeling in his gut and said feeling would only increase as he made his way into the living room. "Hey, Raisa said you guys wanted to see me?"

"Yes, that we did, son." His father told him in a serious voice.

 _Aww Hell…_

"Please, Oliver, sit down with us." His mother added in an also serious voice.

Reluctantly, he did so and looked at his parents and it'd be his mother who'd begin after clearing her throat. "As you know, your father and I have been away for the past few days on business."

"And considering said business related to you, it was a very serious matter." Robert added next and gained a nod from Moira.

Oliver just sighed despondently. "Let me guess, you two got me in another College and used our family's money to do it, right?"

His question caught them off guard somewhat as they looked at one another and then back at him. "Well… Yes, sweetheart. After all, you haven't necessarily done your absolute best at your last two Colleges."

Here, Oliver had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. "Yeah, cause God forbid I don't want to go College just to learn and earn a Business degree." He replied bitingly and getting a couple of frowns in return.

Though his dad's turned into a narrow glare eyed look. "Don't talk to us like that, young man. Your future is important to not only yourself but to this family and the company. And that's why we've enrolled you at Berkeley's University of California. And we expect you to be on your best behavior and do what's expected of you, understand?"

Oliver glared back in silence for a short time as he ground his teeth together. Finally, he spoke. "Did it ever occur to you guys that I might just want to do my own thing? Be my own man that doesn't want any part in the family business?"

"Oh sweetheart, we know you love being something of a rebel but its time to grow up." Moira told him chidingly.

"Because one day, Oliver, your mother and I are going to be gone and it'll be up to you and perhaps even Thea to run the company since it is a family company."

Here, the Queen Scion did roll his eyes as it wasn't the first time he'd heard that particular line of thought. And if he was being honest with himself and he was, he was damned sick of it! "Like I haven't heard that before." Scoffed the young man annoyedly.

Something that neither of his parents liked much of! "I'm not doing it." Declared the unhappy Oliver.

"Fortunately, its not up to you as you are going and that's final, son. You begin classes next Monday so I suggest you spend that time wisely until then."

"Yeah, cause God forbid I make my own fucking decisions about my future!"

"That is enough, Oliver! Its time you be serious instead of fooling around and embarrassing us with your stunts!" His mother told him in irate annoyance.

Frustrated, and no longer willing to be in the same room as his parents, Oliver angrily stomped off back to his room while muttering lowly to himself. Which only further gave his parents the impression he was being a foolish boy. _Guess I'll have to go for maximum embarrassment then until I have to leave._

His parents were sure to love that!

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 **Author's Notes: Well, that definitely didn't go so well!**


	5. Operation: Pain In The Ass

**Chapter 5**

 **Operation: Pain**

 **In The Ass**

 **Disclaimer: Time to have a little fun in this chapter!**

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 **Sunday:**

Since Oliver had a whole week before he had to head off to California for his third College, the young Queen Scion decided he'd have as much fun as possible while also annoying the ever loving Hell out of his parents as payback for forcing something he didn't want on him. And he'd begin that by disguising himself and going out to the Glades and paying one of the craziest Bikers there 300 dollars to burn rubber in the front lobby of Queen Consolidated. Said Biker had told him he'd have done it for a penny but happily took the money anyway and rode off to do the task. Seeing the whole thing on the news and hearing his father rage over it later that night brought a smile to the young man's face before going off to work on that little project of his.

 **Monday:**

Oliver's plan for that day, one he'd enacted during the night, would involve itching powder that he put in all the clothing of his parents. Their reactions through out the day and night gave him, Thea, and Tommy a vast amount of amusement. The kicker of the whole thing was that he'd even throw some in to their bed when no one was around to see him do it. Even putting fake dead bugs near the edge of their bed as well to really sell the whole thing.

 **Tuesday:**

Tuesday's plan saw him and a bribe getting him some air time on one of the local news stations at a good time when many would be watching that particular live broadcast. During his time on it until he'd been forced to go off air thanks to an irate station manager, Oliver would passionately discuss how he wanted to go down a path of his own making and not one devised by his parents. As he did not want to be the 'Master of the Universe' so to speak. No matter how advantageous it might be for him later on. Needless to say, his parents were none too pleased and forbid him from being anywhere near a camera for a good long while.

 **Wednesday:**

Wednesday would be something of a repeat of Tuesday, only instead of on a live news broadcast, it'd be on the radio. Even going so far as to mention how he was much better with his hands in a few ways then what he was with his head in anything to do with business. Naturally, his parents would again be none too pleased and banned him from going near a radio station again for a good long while.

 **Thursday:**

His plan involving a group of Mimes dressed as Drag Queens for some reason even he didn't want to think about went up in smoke before he could really get it going thanks to Laurel following him that day without his realizing it. Said plan and said group would have gone to the front lobby of QC and put on a Hell of a show. And while his parents didn't find out, he and Laurel would have a big argument about it as she thought he was just wasting his time on pettyness when instead, he could have been putting that time to use by spending it with her, Tommy, Thea, or his parents.

 **Friday:**

Friday saw him changing his target from his parents to one Detective Quentin Larry Lance with the use of a few burner phones that he'd discretely bought and would dispose of later on. Sending the slowly growing irate man on wild goose chases through out the day and part of the night. All from the garage as he worked on his special project with Thea and Raisa providing alibis in case they were needed if he was questioned about it.

 **Saturday:**

Saturday saw him and Tommy make use of a QC Jet for a huge in the air party. One that circled around the city for a number of hours and had one Hal Jordan as its pilot. Hal being someone that the boys had be-friended a few years back while on a trip to Coast City and said friendship flourishing quite nicely. One could say the event was straight of an old Ice Cube music video from the first 'Friday' film. Luckily for Oliver, neither Lance sister was in attendance as one was busy with homework and the other was on her way back to College. "A little much, is it not?" Questioned a female voice loudly enough to be heard.

Surprised, Oliver turned to see a bemused Shado looking around at the wild party. Of which included a laughing and topless McKenna Hall as she and a Boxers only Tommy did shots off some random girl's stomach. "Nah! I think its just right! And I have to say I'm surprised to see you of all people here!"

Surprised but happy about it none the less as he had hoped to somehow see her before he had to leave for California. "I'm surprised to be here as well to be honest as I wasn't expecting one of my friends to drag me to this."

Though it was certainly unique as places to throw a party went and her father was sure to throw an absolute fit if he were to find out! And he most certainly did have a good chance of finding out as this was very likely to make the news! "Guess I'll have to thank that friend then!"

"If she can be found in this crowd. But tell me, would this not go against your attempts to go down the path you wish to go?"

Oliver sighed and looked at her, finding himself even wishing they could go somewhere more quiet to talk but where they were would have to do. "Probably, but right now… I'm tired of my parents not wanting to listen to me, Shado. This is a present to myself in two ways, one to enjoy my last bit of time here until I'm off to the University of California in Berkeley and two, to annoy the Hell out of them for forcing that on me without letting me put in any input." Admittedly, when he thought about it, he probably could have discussed things with them in a more calmer way but he'd just been so aggravated by them that he couldn't.

His actions the past week probably hasn't helped in that area but right now, he really just couldn't care about it. Shado sent him a sympathetic look before speaking. "I'm sorry to hear that, Oliver. Perhaps in the future you'll be able to get through to them. No matter how difficult it may be as those things worth fighting for are never easy."

"Pity, would make life a little easier on me." Grumbled the young man and gaining another sympathetic look from the girl.

"I wouldn't offer normally to boys I've only recently met but we could dance if it would help ease the burden you face from your mind for a time?"

Oliver looked at her in surprise and he could tell Shado herself was a bit surprised by her own offer. But he'd end up smiling at her seconds later. "Shado, I'd love too." He told her happily and one big bonus of this would be that no damn Paps were going to know about this!

Or as far as he knows anyway! The two began to dance and enjoy themselves with one another as they were swallowed up by the crowd. Neither realizing that Tommy had seen the whole thing and had been giving his best friend two thumb's up before going back to enjoying shots on a girl's stomach with McKenna. "WHOO! OLLIE KNOWS HOW TO PARTY!" Yelled out Tommy and cheers were heard.

It'd be an hour later when they were finally forced to land by Aviation Officials and a very furious Robert Queen himself. A mischevious Oliver and Hal would land in the downtown area and thanks to having access to a thing of stairs, would allow for everyone to haul ass the moment they got off the Jet. Thankfully however, Oliver would get Shado's number this time much to his immense happiness before she took off with the friend that had brought her to the party. The ass chewing Oliver and Tommy would receive from their fathers would be legendary as neither gave a damn if it was in public since both were absolutely furious with their sons' antics. Hal was also quite lucky he wasn't thrown out of the Air Force for his part in things as well.

 **Sunday:**

Oliver would spend all of Sunday on house arrest until the next day, when he left for California. During his house arrest, he would have to spend time either helping Raisa clean or enduring lectures and the like from his parents. Naturally, he enjoyed the time he spent with Raisa far more then he did the lectures and the like. Not that he was gonna tell them that of course! He also spent a little time with Thea since it would more than likely be awhile before he saw her again. Oliver had also taken to ignoring the numerous texts from a very displeased Laurel over his immature actions. As he was in no mood to deal with that and instead, just texted Shado from time to time. But as the day made its way into the evening, Oliver decided to bring his dad out to the garage to show him his project. "Alright, son, why are we out here? God help me if this is some kind of-." Robert was cut off by the buzzing of his phone.

Frowning, he brought it out and checked it. "Damn."

"Don't tell me you have to go in?"

"I do. Something came up at the office."

"But it can wait for just a few minutes, right? I mean what I brought you out here for is important!"

But his father wasn't paying any attention as he dialed a number on his phone and began to walk away. "Dad!"

"It can wait, Oliver!"

And with that, a dejected and angry Oliver watched his dad leave as he began to talk urgently with whoever he had called on the phone. Leaving him on his own as he scowled unhappy in his father's direction. Spotting a wrench on a nearby bench, he grabbed it and threw it at a wall with a yell to vent a little bit of his frustrations. "DAMNIT!"

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 **Author's Notes: Oliver's luck continues to misfire for him doesn't it? I was going to have him show his dad what he was working on but I thought it might be too soon and went with what you see here. R and R!**


	6. College Life And Stuff

**Chapter 6**

 **College Life**

 **And Stuff**

 **Disclaimer: And here we go yo!**

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Over the next 7 months, Oliver spent a lot of time at the University of California in Berkeley. At first, hating it a great deal until one evening when he came across a Mechanical Engineering class and had trouble leaving as he stood rivited to the spot. Watching as they built the beginnings of a loading mechanism for an automatic Catapault. After that, he had headed straight for the Dean's office the next day as soon as possible to try and get into the class. Naturally, the man had been resistant to the idea thanks to the work of his parents at first. But when he saw how much this meant to Oliver, along with a little deal here and there the young Queen Scion made with him, he made it happen and agreed to keep it off the books until Oliver was finished with the course. Oliver never was able to go back home the entire time he was at the school. Mostly because his parents thought it was a bad idea and allow for him to get crazy ideas.

Meaning that his pet project was long ignored and he had to miss his dad's birthday and any time he could have spent with his little sister, Tommy, Laurel when things were good between them, and even quite possibly Shado. Especially since the two of them were continuing to talk through phone calls, texting, and even over the internet. Her support and lack of judgement towards him was something he greatly liked as it was refreshing. Unfortunately for him, his time at the University of California would come to an end when the Mechanical Engineering class he had gotten to join had finished its building of the automated Catapault. The testing of which would incidentally cause thousands of dollars in damages and to prevent the teacher and his classmates from getting in trouble, Oliver would take the fall for the whole thing. The Dean would have no choice but to throw him out for that and for the fact his grades and attendance for his business classes were absolutely horrible.

The flight home with his dad was to put it simply, very tense. The older man not saying a single word to him for most of it. "So… How's mom and Speedy?"

Robert turned to him with a glare on his face and Oliver just shrugged. "What? The silence was getting to be seriously boring."

If anything, the glare seemed to intensify but Oliver was long used to his dad's glares and the like so he wasn't really affected by it. "If it helps, what happened with that Catapault wasn't actually my fault."

"Is that right?"

"Yep. That's right. I just took the fall so the others and Professor Cordman wouldn't get in trouble."

"You actually think that's what I'm so pissed off about?" Asked the man in annoyance.

Oliver just stared at him for a moment. "Okay, so I am pissed about that. But its more so you yet again wasted your time where your business classes are concerned! For that matter, how the Hell did you manage to get into that Mechanics class anyway!? Its not what was agreed upon between the Dean and us!" Stated the older man unhappily and getting an eye roll from his son.

"Maybe if you'd actually take a minute and listen to what I'm trying to tell you and mom, you'd realize its not some rebellious phase I'm doing and stop forcing that on me! As for that class?" Here, Oliver just shrugged.

"The Dean and I came to an agreement. Plus, he saw how important that class was to me."

Robert stared at him in a doubtful manner before speaking. "You're telling me that you're actually into that sort of thing?"

"Uhh… YES! I love working with my hands, dad! Always have since you took me with you to do airplane maintenance back when I was younger."

I they were gonna talk, he might as well try his luck then and there. "I mean… Do you have any idea how fun it was to help build that automated Catapault? I learned, dad, I actually LEARNED from doing that. And better yet? I liked IT cause it was something I honestly ENJOYED. Unlike Business, which I have no love for at all and want nothing to do with it. Its not the path for me." Declared Oliver firmly and passionately.

Managing to surprising his dad greatly in the process. "You're… You're actually serious, aren't you?"

"I'm dead serious, dad. I get it upsets you since it screws with your grand vision for me but at some point you have to realize its not gonna happen. I'll keep fighting you and mom on this if I have too." Warned the young man seriously.

Robert just stared at him for what felt like forever as he thought of what his son had told him. "A friend I made awhile back helped put things into perspective for me."

"Which is?" Wondered the man curiously.

"I'm on two roads but unable to go down the one I truly want to go down because the other, which is the one you and mom want for me, are pulling me towards it and things I don't want." Explained the young man and his dad thought about it.

"That's… That's some friend you have there, son."

"Don't I know it." Oliver replied with a small smile on his lips.

A sigh escaped his father as he continued thinking awhile longer until breaking the silence. "While I'm still fairly pissed with you, son, I realize now the way we've been doing things hasn't been the right way where you're concerned."

"Well… If you want to make it up to me, you could let me attend Starling University and allow me to choose my own classes."

"I'm assuming Mechanical Engineering is one of those?"

"Damn straight."

Robert looked at him and saw that his son was in fact, being quite serious. "Oh… You're mother's gonna love this. But are you sure about Starling University? We could get you in somewhere far more prestigious."

He got a firm nod from his son. "I'm dead sure. Besides, its still an education even if its not as prestigious." And he hated fancy Ivy League places due to how damn stiff and formal they felt.

Something he himself was definitely not! "I'll… I'll think about all this. Okay?"

"Its all I ask, dad. Its all I ask."

 _Guess getting kicked out of Berkeley was a really good thing after all._

"I'm still pissed though."

Oliver snorted in slight amusement but said nothing as he replied to a few texts from Tommy, Laurel, and Shado. Surprisingly, or not too surprisingly, his dad would be far less pissed when they got home and Oliver finally got to show him his project. Which was a 1950's sleak black Classic Cadillac and was nearly finished being restored by Oliver. The sight of the whole thing was enough to make the older man tear up some and believe even more about what his son had told him on the flight home.

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 **Author's Notes: Hope folks enjoyed this latest chapter! Oliver's finally got through to his dad, but will it last?**


	7. Conditions

**Chapter 7**

 **Conditions**

 **Disclaimer: And we are back! Also, to a guest reviewer, are you saying this is awfully good? Cause you were a little unclear on that. If its awfully good, then a ton of thanks! Now, let's get to it!**

* * *

 **A Week And A Half Later**

After getting home, Oliver spent a majority of his time doing his best to be on good behavior after his talk with his dad. It probably helped that his best friend and wing man Tommy Merlyn was off at College and therefore unable to do anything with him. Now Thea had been real happy he was back while their mother wasn't, even after explaining why he had taken the fall for that class and the teacher. Moira had made it clear she thought he was wasting his time thanks to the fact his antics in previous times had colored her views of certain things. Not that she had told him this that is and he told her in a cold manner that it was HIS future and not her's to decide. The two really hadn't spoken much since that conversation had taken place and Oliver had taken to hiding out in his room or the garage working on his restoration project since pretty much everyone he knew was in College and rather busy at the moment because of it.

Which had included Shado unfortunately but he at least had Thea to keep him company as she so helpfully and brightly told him at one point. "Mr. Oliver?" Called out Raisa tentatively and received a banging noise and a yell of pain.

"OW! Son of a bitch that hurt!"

Raisa winced and rushed over to him to find he was coming out from underneath his little project and rubbing his forehead gingerly. "Oh, Mr. Oliver! I am so sorry!" She told him apologetically as she helped him get up.

"Its, ugh, its not your fault. More mine for not thinking thanks to having that automatic reaction to you." Replied the young man in a reassuring tone as he contnued to rub on his aching forehead.

 _That's probably gonna bruise!_

Still, the long time maid of the family didn't seem that convinced. "Honestly, I'm fine, Raisa, I promise. I'll just take somethin' for the pain when I get a chance. This coulda happened with anyone, okay?"

"If you are sure..."

"I'm the most surest around. So, what's up?" Wondered Oliver in something of an attempt to get his favorite member of the house staff to focus on something else.

"Oh! Your father requests your presence in his study." She informed him in a somewhat bright manner.

Here, Oliver froze. _He finally make a decision then? God I hope its one I'm gonna like._

Seeing this, Raisa panicked some as she thought his hit to the head had been worse then either had thought! "Mr. Oliver! Are you okay!? Do we need to take you to a doctor!?"

Her panicked voice snapped him out of his frozen state and looked at her. "What!? No! I swear! Just wasn't expecting him to call me into his study today." Replied Oliver with a nervous tinge to his voice.

"You've never had this reaction before."

"Well, if its what I think he's wanting me for, I have a lot of reason to be having this kind of reaction."

"Ohh, I see. Well, in that case, best get to it then, Mr. Oliver. Would you like for me to be with you as you make your way to your father then considering what happened with you head?"

Chuckling, Oliver hugged the woman who had long been like a second mother to him. "Nah, I'll be fine, I promise but thanks anyway."

Smiling at the doubtful woman, Oliver made his way from the garage to the mansion as he continued to rub on his head. Hoping it wouldn't leave a bruise but knowing it probably would unless he was seriously lucky. His nerves grew as he made his way to his dad's study, taking away from his attention where his forehead was concerned and once at the door of his dad's study, he made his way inside. "Hey, dad, Raisa said you wanted to talk to me?"

If his nervousness showed in his voice, his father didn't comment on it as he looked up at him. "I did, son. And uhh, what happened to your head?" Asked the older man curiously as his son came in and closed the door behind him and took a seat near him.

Oliver waved his hand with an embarrassed look on his face. "Ah, nothing, just a little accidental hit to the head when Raisa called for me is all."

Robert chuckled at that. "Yeah, you might want to work on that if you're gonna be having that head of yours underneath heavy objects."

"Something I'll try and keep in mind. So, you wanted to see me?" Asked Oliver, deciding it was best to just not beat around the bush and get any potential disappointments over with.

Something his dad actually appreciated, even if he wouldn't have necessarily minded beating around the bush with his son. Especially if it meant teasing him a little more where his recent mishap was concerned! "Oh, yes, its about what we discussed on the plane."

"Oh?"

"Mm-hmm. Though your mother isn't for this as she believes it to be nothing more than a phase or another rebellious antic of yours, I've made the arrangements for you to begin taking your classes at Starling University. Whatever those may be." Informed the Patriarch of the Queen family much to the joy of Oliver.

"YES!" Cheered the young man as he fist pumped into the air much to the amusement of his dad.

"However..."

Oliver groaned as his joy plummeted some. "Easy now, son, easy, its not as bad as you think."

"Trust me, I can think of some pretty crappy things." Grumbled the Queen Scion unhappily.

His dad clapped a hand on his shoulder as he stared at him. "This was a condition your mother was adamant on as otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed. But essentially, you are to take at least ONE business class."

"But all I'm gonna be doing is building and fixing things! I don't really need a Business Degree for that!" Came the protest.

"Perhaps, but think about this, say you and perhaps another friend decide to get real serious about this passion of yours and start something like a business. Whether it be small or otherwise, that knowledge and that Business Degree would help you out greatly, even if its not used all that much." Pointed out Robert.

His son began to try and counter that but stopped short when he realized his dad actually had a pretty good point. "Huh… I uhh, I never thought about that to be honest."

"Your mother and I figured as much." Was the older man's dry and teasing reply that made his son shake his head at with an exasperated eyeroll.

Oliver sighed as he thought about it and realized that if it was just one class that was business related, then it wouldn't hurt that much compared to a bunch of them that he would just hate. "Alright… I can agree to that."

"I thought you might. Now, another condition and this one comes not only from us, but also the Dean of the University. Your antics are well known and she's a bit worried about you being there because of that. Plus, word got out about what happened in Berkeley with that Catapault thing. Which is another reason she's worried. So with that said, you are to be on your best behavior at Starling University and anything… Wild, is to be done far from the place. Understood?"

Though why they chose to build something like that was beyond the older man however. "Wow, and I thought it was gonna be something I would hate but I actually don't so I'm totally one hundred percent agreeable, dad." Came the surprised reply from the younger Queen.

As this was damned important to him and didn't want to screw it up in any way. Plus, this would probably give him more opportunities to see Shado as well! His dad grinned happily at him and slapped him on the shoulder again. "Good, that's good to hear, son. You start next week so you might want to get started on getting whatever you need for classes."

Even handing him a piece of paper and a pamphlet the Dean had given him in order for his son to use. Oliver stared at his dad for a moment before looking to the stuff he'd been given. "YES! THANKS DAD!" Shouted the young man happily as he gave him a hug and took off.

"BEST DAY EVER!"

Robert chuckled to himself as he turned his attention back to what he'd been doing previously as a thought occurred to him. "Wonder if he would have been agreeable to staying in a Campus Dorm and learning how to do certain basic things like washing his own clothes?"

He thought about it for a moment and then shook his head in amusement. "Nah, probably not."

 **Monday At Starling University**

"Alright, for those of you new to my class, like Queen here, I'm Professor Earl Cooper and I'll be teachin' ya all I knows about Mechanical Engineerin' and the like. Anyway, with that out of the way, let's get started, huh?"

As the man began to talk about what they were gonna be doing, Oliver could be seen with a big wide smile on his face as he eagerly listened to what the older man was saying while ignoring a few of the curious looks sent his way. _This is gonna be SO cool!_

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 **Author's Notes: Kudos to anyone who remembers where Earl Cooper comes from. Hope folks enjoyed!**


	8. Growing Closer

**Chapter 8**

 **Growing Closer**

 **Disclaimer: Apologies on the delay in getting this out, Smallville's really just managed to grab my attention lately. And for the last time, I am NOT doing the Ray/Stiles prompt. STOP asking.**

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Months had passed since Oliver had begun his classes at Starling University and it was clear to those around him that he was insanely happy with the whole thing. He was perhaps more happier then his parents or sister ever remembered him being for that matter and it was rather great to see it happening. Oliver's ability in repairing stuff and putting projects together had grown in the months he'd begun at SU. Showing that he was actually rather smart then most realized he was and having a realization about him that perhaps he just wasn't challenged enough in a stimulating way. Oliver had even made a few new friends at SU but chief among the new changes in his life was the near constant presence of Shado Gulong.

The one who'd initially begun Oliver's current path thanks to a chance meeting and a few well said words, even if his parents hadn't found out about that just yet. He'd even gotten to meet her sister and their father and while he was a man of few words, he wasn't an ass towards him like Detective Lance tended to be. It was also becoming rather obvious that Oliver and Shado were growing closer and closer towards one another and that had led to an issue or two between Oliver and Laurel in heated phone calls. Granted, neither had tried anything with one another but there had been many a time where Oliver had been tempted to do so but hadn't. Not that Shado would have let him as she herself would admit to a friend of theirs as she wasn't about to be that kind of girl.

But she certainly never lied to herself about how she would love for things between them to be more then just friends. Nor did she lie to anyone else if they asked about it. And currently, Oliver himself had taken a flight to another part of Washington to have a much needed and important conversation with Laurel. One he was dreading a bit as he knew she wasn't going to like what he had to say. But he had to get it off his chest as she deserved it from him. Plus, he was also tired of the fighting and lack of trust between himself and her. A deep breath came from him as he knocked on her dorm room door and didn't have long to wait for her to open it up. "O-Ollie?"

"Yeah, did I come at a bad time?"

"No. Come on in." She told him kindly and moved out of the way for him to do so.

An awkward silence followed after he was inside until Laurel cleared her throat. "I think I know why you're here."

"You do?"

"Yeah, you're here to break things off with me because of that girl, Shado." Laurel replied unhappily as he let out a sigh.

"Its not just about Shado, Laurel. Its about the fact we are two vastly different people. Its about the fact you expect far too much from me and get disappointed when it doesn't happen. Which is seriously not fair to me. You have trouble trusting me and accuse me of things that just aren't true because of a few things that happened a long while back. That's not good for a relationship, Laurel. At all. Hell, you still seem to think what I'm doing with the Maintenance stuff is just some sort of phase I'm doin' to get a rise out of my parents when its not!" Ranted the young man unhappily as Laurel stayed silent.

And feeling stunned that this was how he felt as she stayed silent. The fact he was more or less repeating himself from an earlier argument of theirs some months ago made Laurel realize he really wasn't just selling a line or anything like that. And that he was being legitimate about everything. "Do you have any idea what its like to come up with an idea for some kind of design and then put it together with a few others who share the same similar interests? Its awesome, Laurel. And that's no phase for me. This is truly my own thing that doesn't relate to the Queen image or whatever."

"And I can't lie, I do feel pretty strongly for Shado. I mean… How can I not? She's been there for me in a lot of ways and has never judged me for anything. Its a refreshing thing."

"Ollie… I… I'm sorry." Laurel finally said a few minutes later after another silence between the two had erupted.

A nod came her way, along with a heavy sigh. "Yeah, me too. Maybe if things had been different, this meet up would be a whole lot different."

But life hadn't been differently unfortunately. "Maybe… Maybe I could transfer to Starling University and we, we can try this again?" Tried Laurel in a somewhat hopeful manner.

Sadly for her, Oliver would just shake his head. "It wouldn't be right for either of us, especially you when I feel something for someone else. You deserve a lot better then me, someone who can actually match up to your expectations." Even if he did think she shouldn't have such high expectations but that was just him.

Nor would he say anything about it either. Laurel's lower lip trembled and a twinge of guilt was felt by Oliver. Deciding that perhaps it was time to get going. "Again, I'm sorry, Laurel."

And with that, he made his leave from the dorm room. Knowing the girl he'd just left was more than likely crying her eyes out now and would probably hate him for a good long while. But he could handle that as it was probably deserved in some way.

 **Some Hours Later**

Hours later saw a tired Oliver make his way to the SU Campus with one goal in mind as he knew Shado would be getting out of class around this time. Luckily for him, he'd had the foresight to have himself excused to have that conversation with Laurel so he wouldn't get into too much trouble. Luck would be on his side where Shado was concerned as he spotted her coming down the Hall. "Hey Shado! I have something I need to tell you!" He called out to her and gaining more than one curious look his way for it.

Not that he paid any of that much attention as he made his way to the girl he'd come to care and fall for. "You've finally realized I'm right about Honey Rotisserie being better then the Bar-Be-Que flavor for Chicken?" Asked the Pre-Med student with raised eyebrows.

Causing snorts to happen from those nearby as this particular argument had been heard a number of times. Oliver stopped in front of her with a light hearted glare on his face. "Pfft! Of course not. Bar-Be-Que is the superior flavor and always will be."

Shado merely rolled her eyes good naturedly. "If you say so, Oh Tasteless One."

It was Oliver's turn to roll his eyes at her. "So, if its not that, then what is it?" Wondered the Chinese student curiously.

"Oh, just this." He replied and proceeded to kiss her quite soundly.

Causing many a pair of eyebrows to raise and for a few to cheer at this as Shado kissed him back with equal passion. Knowing then and there that he was no longer with Laurel as otherwise, this wouldn't be happening. Elation surged through her as it had been getting harder to stay only as friends with him and after what felt like forever, the two parted and rested their foreheads against the other's as cheering could still be heard. "So… Can I finally take you out on a date, Ms. Gulong?"

"You can take me out on as many as you want, Mr. Queen." Shado happily told him.

A pleased chuckle came from him and the two kissed again. "Come on, I know a great little place a few blocks from here."

Smiling very widely and happily as he took her hand in his, the two went off to this little place they both knew of. And sure, some would probably find it horrible for a first date or for more of a beginning of a relationship to be at a Big Belly Burger of all places, but in a way, that was just them. And neither would have it any other way.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: No, not the end, I can assure ya on that. Although, kinda not pleased with this but oh well.**


	9. Day At The Bay

**Chapter 9**

 **Day At**

 **The Bay**

 **Disclaimer: Originally, this was gonna be 'Day At The Beach', but I instead went a completely different route.**

* * *

Summer had come and with it, Summer vacations and any other thing associated with Summer and being out of school for a few months. Normally, Oliver would have been off somewhere having a ton of fun with Tommy and maybe a girl or two but this time around, he'd chosen to stick around in Starling City. Mostly because of his girlfriend, Shado Gulong. Whom hadn't really wanted to go anywhere and instead, stick around in the city. Which led to her and a few friends deciding it was high time to clean up the Bay area of the city so that it wasn't so trashy looking anymore. And so that folks could come and hang out there again as well. "You know, I never realized how bad it had gotten out here." Oliver remarked with a frown as he and Shado picked up trash.

"At least you realized now instead of later when it was far, far worse." She replied while feeling grateful for the fact she'd worn a bandanna around her head to deal with the sweat.

As it was rather warm out that day. "And somehow conned us into helpin' out." Grumbled Tommy Merlyn from near by.

Both lovebirds rolled their eyes at this as it wasn't the first time he'd grumbled about the whole thing. With Tommy was the Lance sisters, McKenna Hall, Thea, and even some of Oliver and Shado's friends from Starling University. "You know, nobody actually conned you into doing anything, right?"

Granted, Oliver had baited his best friend with seeing hot girls in bikinis while doing this but he hadn't conned him! Or then again, perhaps he had! Oh well! "Yes, yes you did! You used the perfect bait, Ollie! So don't even try to deny it!"

"I couldn't possibly know what you mean."

Tommy narrowed his eys at his best friend who just smiled back in an innocent manner. Snickers were heard from those around them. "Think about it this way, Tommy, Carter Bowen's not here."

His best friend was going to say something when he realized the Blonde had a good point. "Oh yeah, definitely a good thing." Shuddered the Merlyn Scion dramatically.

Shado took notice of this with a curiousness about her. "Carter Bowen?"

"Yeah, he's a real self absorbed moron that likes the sound of his voice."

The boys told her everything about him and how highly praised Carter was by their parents. Which had long irked them to no end considering their issues with him. Shado looked somewhat amused by the whole thing. "I believe I've found something to avoid mentioning then if it gets you two this worked up." She remarked amusedly.

Oliver scowled at her light heartedly. "Yeah, laugh it up now but once you actually meet him, you'll know our pain."

Shado smiled sweetly at him. "I'm sure I can help kiss the pain away. Well… Yours at least. Tommy will have to find someone else to kiss his away."

"Darn it." Replied the Merlyn Scion with a snap of his fingers in a good natured manner.

Stepping up to his girlfriend and wrapping an arm around her, Oliver looked into her eyes for a long moment. "I can definitely work with that." He replied before kissing her.

Both savoring the kiss immensely as Tommy, McKenna, and even Thea made fake gagging sounds over the whole thing. "Ew! I don't wanna see my brother being kissed!"

Oliver turned to stick his tongue out at her. "Think of it this way, Thea, you'll be able to return the favor by kissing boys in front of your brother when you're older."

"EW! Boys are gross!"

"And she is never ever going near any boys!" Oliver added firmly with Tommy nodding in heavy agreement.

Shado rolled her eyes at the two boys with a smile on her lips. "You two keep telling yourselves that and maybe you'll actually believe it one day."

Snickering at their pouting reactions to her, the Pre-Med student continued on her way, picking up trash with Thea as they went. Meanwhile, the Lance sisters were having a conversation of their own. "I seriously can't believe you haven't kicked that bitch's ass for stealing Ollie, Laurel."

A sigh escaped the older Lance sister, having already heard this more then three times that day and well tired of it. "I'm not going to kick her ass, Sara. Its not like he cheated on me with her or anything." Repeated the future Lawyer in another variation of a response she'd already given to her younger sister.

"Still, she had to have promised him an easy lay for him to move on to her. Probably keeps putting out so he'll stick around." Sara replied in a scathing and if Laurel wasn't mistaken, jealous tone of voice.

"Whether or not they are sleeping together is none of our business. He saw and found something with her that he wasn't able too with me. As much as it hurts, I understand that better now then what I did before."

The Chinese Pre-Med student was just able to be that for him that she just wasn't able to be. She didn't badger him or try to make him into something he wasn't. Or even pressure him into anything. Shado merely let him be and it made Ollie incredibly happy and relaxed. And it was nice to see in Laurel's view. Sara rolled her eyes with a scoff, determining to herself that she wasn't gonna let this bitch have what she herself had wanted a good long while. Something she would have had long ago if Laurel hadn't decided to be a narc on a certain party. "You might be willing to let it slide, Laur, but I'm not. Not this time."

"Sara! Leave it alone!" Hissed the older Lance.

Sadly, Sara was unwilling to do that as she walked towards Oliver with intentions on the mind, even making sure to show a little extra skin to ensure she had his attention. "Hey, Ollie." Near purred the girl as she stepped in front of him.

Causing him to be forced to stop his walking. "Umm, hi, Sara."

"So… I was wondering if you wanted to get together with me later tonight?" She asked of him while fluttering her eyelashes at him and running a finger up and down his chest.

An action that made him back up with a frown on his face. "I have a date with Shado tonight. And then after that, I promised Speedy I'd do a movie night with her."

"I don't see a problem, Ollie. I mean, its not like you can't cancel either one or still come out with me after both are done." Replied the girl in what she thought was a reasonable manner as she twirled her hair and stepped into his comfort zone again.

Oliver frowned at her, not liking how Sara was acting. "Besides, now we can have _our_ chance seein' as how you dumped Laurel." Added the younger Lance with a glint in her eyes.

"Yeeeaaah. No. Just no. To _any_ of that." Was his firm reply as he put some space between the two.

Not realizing there was a few narrowed pairs of eyes watching the whole thing unfold. "Aww, why not?"

His attempts to keep space between them not deterring her at all. As she had long wanted him for herself and Sara knew she was far better for him then that other girl. "Because I'm a hundred percent faithful to Shado for one. And two, why would I give up my time with my baby sister anybody else?"

It was known by now he'd drop everything where Thea was concerned at the drop of a hat. No matter what. Sara scoffed with an eyeroll, an act that managed to annoy the Queen Scion as she also got in his personal space again and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Come on, Ollie, we all know this little thing with Shado isn't gonna last. So why kid yourself? You and I belong together." Tried the girl in a sexy voice.

Narrowing his eyes at her, Oliver pulled away and this let him catch sight of an upset Shado, a disgusted looking McKenna, a curious Tommy, and a resigned Laurel. "You know, its saddening you're putting yourself first instead of making an attempt at getting me back with your sister." Oliver told her with annoyance laced in his voice.

Sara merely shrugged her shoulders in an unconcerned way. "Eh, she blew it, Ollie. Simple as that."

He shook his head at her and knew this had to be hurting Laurel like crazy. "Some pains might last awhile, but pains from a sibling last a lot longer, Sara. Something to keep in mind."

"Ooh, how… Philosophical of you, Ollie. Its kinda sexy." Purred Sara.

"Its not happening between us. I wouldn't do that to your sister and I sure as Hell wouldn't do it to Shado. She means _WAY_ too much to me. So please, for the sake of friendship, back the Hell off." Declared the young man firmly.

Sara tilted her head to the side with displeasure on her face clearly showing. "Since when did you become such a responsible guy? Its kinda unappealing."

"Guess you can say Shado helped me grow up. As for you finding it unappealing? Really not my problem."

"Sara! Let's go!" Yelled a very unhappy Laurel as she came up to the two and grabbed her sister by the hand and made to leave.

Sara tried to put up a fight but Laurel wasn't having any of it. Even threatening to call their father if she didn't stop what she was doing. A threat the younger Lance knew her sister would go through with and reluctantly went away with her while wondering how she was gonna get Ollie away from Shado. For she knew they were meant to be together. Sighing heavily, Oliver made his way over to Shado with an apologetic look on his face. "I am so sorry about that, Shado."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Baobei. Sara Lance on the other hand… Does."

And she'd damn well kick the other girl's ass if she pulled anything. As Shado didn't tolerate anyone pulling crap with anyone or anything in her life. Not after how her father had been treated by the Government of China. The two hugged as McKenna and Tommy had worried frowns on their faces as both knew that Sara had a strong tendency to act first and worry way later about the thinking of consequences bit. Thea however, remained blissfully unaware as she played around with the sand.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Considering Sara honestly didn't appear to have a lot of respect for Laurel and her relationship with Oliver before and even somewhat after Lian Yu, I can see her doing this.**


	10. Gulong VS Lance

**Chapter 10**

 **Gulong VS. Lance**

 **Disclaimer: I hadn't ever planned on this but after the last chapter it started coming to me and well, I couldn't pass it up!**

* * *

 **A Few Days Later**

A stoic and retired General Yao Fei Gulong made his way into the Precinct where one Detective Quentin Larry Lance was stationed out of. Fully intent on having a word with the man after a particular situation that had occurred at his home roughly two nights before. One that if he had been able to do so, would have made the responsible party run 20 laps around the block as a form of punishment for the trouble she'd caused that night. "Can I help you?" Asked a passing Lt. Pike as he saw the well dressed man.

"Yes, I am here to speak with Detective Lance for it is of great importance."

Pike studied the man for a moment, having a pretty good idea what he wanted to talk with one of his own about. "Alright, he's over there." Pointed out the man to Lance.

Whom was having a deep discussion about something or other with his partner, Hilton "Thank you." Replied Yao Fei with a slight bow before making his way over to the man.

Not wasting any time with pleasantries, Yao Fei begun the very needed conversation with Detective Lance as soon as he got to him. "Detective Lance, you and I need to have very serious talk."

Lance looked at him in surprise and would have made a cutting remark if he hadn't recognized the fact the other man was in a military uniform and one thing he didn't do was make an ass out of himself where members of the military were concerned. No matter what country they served. "Umm… Alright, how can I help you, sir?"

"You can help me by ensuring your daughter, Sara Lance, does not ever disturb my home again by teaching her respect for others." Yao Fei replied in a firm manner.

Lance stared at him for a long minute as his ire began to build up in him. "Excuse me? You wanna run that by me again, pal?"

"If you wish. Your daughter came to my home two nights ago and cause problem. Problem that involve broken furniture and windows. All because she not like my eldest dating Oliver Queen thanks to jealousy and fact he has chosen another." Replied the Chinese man as Hilton began to worry about how ugly this was going to get.

A narrow eyed glared came from the Detective towards the other man as he finally got a clue as to why a couple of Units had brought his little girl home two nights ago and couldn't a word out of her about what had happened. The Units had mentioned her being a public disturbance and had left it at that before leaving. "Yeah? Is that right? Maybe you shouldn't have let that piece of shit into your house as we all know he's the _REAL_ trouble maker around here. Somethin' you might wanna make your daughter aware of, pal." Sneered the man in reply.

But Yao Fei held firm. "I have pictures and footage of damage she cause, Detective Lance. It is not Oliver fault this happen for he warn her off but she not listen. I advise you to enforce strict discipline on her. I expect you to pay for damage to property."

Of course, part of the damage to his house had been the fact Shado had not been willing to allow the girl to besmirch her honor and had bested her with the skills he himself had taught to her long ago. Something Sara Lance had not expected considering her apparent lack of skill in fighting. Ms. Lance had even thrown a few objects at his daughter and young Oliver had been an unfortunate victim in the whole thing when a vase hit him in the head, causing him to be knocked out in the process. This had made Sara irrationally blame Shado for it happening, leading to the fighting to worsen until the Police finally showed up. Lance's face went red in anger as he got in the other man's face, no longer giving a damn if he was military or not.

"Look, pal, I don't know who the Hell you think you are, but you don't come into MY place of work and tell me how to raise MY daughter or make any kind of demands of me. You understand me!?"

And if he thought the other man was gonna be intimidated, he was sorely mistaken as Yao Fei matched him head on! "You can not intimidate me, Detective Lance. If must, I will go to Court for this matter. I have copy of pictures and footage for you to see. To show proof of unneeded problems your daughter cause my home and those in it."

He pulled out a flash drive and placed it on the desk they were next too as Lance continued to get even angrier. Not liking the fact the little Queen shit had managed to get his little girl into trouble while having broken his oldest's heart before that! "Good day, Detective Lance. I trust you see reason in this." Said Yao Fei before making his leave.

Leaving Lance to stew in his anger and strongly wanting to throttle Oliver Queen.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: I probably could have shown the scene with Sara and Shado, but I figured I'd just leave that up to everyone's imagination. R and R!**


	11. Loss Of Innocence

**Chapter 11**

 **Loss Of Innocence**

 **Disclaimer: Things get a little… Unpleasant, in this chapter.**

* * *

 **Months Later**

Months later saw Oliver and Shado still going strong in their relationship and the two being very, very happy. Oliver himself continued to do extremely well in his chosen classes to the point even his mother was starting to see that he was quite serious about the whole thing. Leading to her giving Oliver and his classmates a challenge in the form of creating an elevator for the inside of the mansion. Even though it wasn't necessarily needed but she had argued it would be helpful to have in case someone was unable to make up the stairs due to an injury. Or if there was something heavy being carried and going up the stairs wasn't feasible because of it. Sara was also no longer a problem for Oliver and Shado after her father had viewed the material Yao Fei had given him.

The man had definitely been displeased and not even his wife's easy going let's be peaceful with one another nature could sway him from giving his youngest a much needed punishment for her actions. Needless to say, Sara hadn't been too happy but had (begrudgingly) apologized to not only Oliver and Shado, but to Yao Fei as well. Shado, and her sister, Mei, had bonded strongly with Thea over the months since the Pre-Med student had come into Oliver's life. Even teaching the younger Queen a few tricks where Archery was concerned thanks to her interest in it. Yao Fei had even offered to teach the young Queen a few fighting moves but Moira had been heavily against it. Citing it was unbecoming of a young woman of her stature.

Robert, Oliver, Tommy, the Gulongs and Malcolm all thought otherwise on that however. And Robert would spend time convincing his wife that their little girl should have some self defense skills of her own as a just in case kind of thing and not just rely on bodyguards all the time. As who knew when they might not be available for whatever reason? Little did any of them know this would become _very_ apparent one late evening when Oliver and Shado took Thea to the premier for an animated film she wanted to see. "Oh wow, that was so good! We gotta go back and see it again real soon!" Declared Thea enthusiastically.

Making the couple chuckle in amusement over her enthusiasm. "Well, I don't see why that'd be an issue, Speedy. In fact, I'm sure we can go see it tomorrow night if nothing comes up." Oliver told her.

And instantly scoring more big bro points in the process with the wide beaming smile that got him from his baby sister. "YAY!"

Shado smiled warmly at the two siblings. "Well, I don't know about either of you, but I'm feeling a little hungry."

"But Shado! You had all that Popcorn!"

"Actually, I'm certain it was your brother who had most of it instead."

A gasp escaped Thea as she looked at her big brother. "OLLIE!"

"What!? I was hungry! Being skilled with my hands takes a lot of energy outta you!" He told her in defense of himself.

"Well, you should have gotten your own Popcorn then!" Argued back the young Queen in a tone that implied she thought he was a big dummy for not thinking of that!

"Yes, Oliver, you should have gotten your own Popcorn!" Needled Shado with a grin.

One that only widen when her boyfriend shot her a betrayed look. "So, where do you guys wanna eat then? I'll even pay to make up for my error of eating all the Popcorn."

Still grinning, Shado leaned over Thea to give Oliver a kiss on the cheek. "Ooh! How about Big Belly Burger!? They've got the BEST Chocolate Shakes and Burgers!"

"She's not wrong there, Baobei."

"Hmm… It would make that twitch in mom's eye happen when she finds out." Mused Oliver and getting an amused eyeroll from his girlfriend.

As it was known of Moira Queen's views about certain types of dining establishments. One that luckily wasn't shared by her husband. And Oliver would _definitely_ get some brownie points with his dad if he brought him a bag of Big Belly's finest! "Soooo… We're gonna go?"

Oliver looked down at his hopeful sister's face with a fake look of shock on his fac.e "What!? How can you ask me that, Speedy!? Of course we're gonna go!"

"YAY!"

Chuckles were had by the couple over her cheer and soon the trio were on their way. "H-Hey, can you spare some change?" Asked a filthy individual after they arrived at the parking lot of their chosen destination and began to walk towards it.

Oliver checked his pockets while Shado chose to go on ahead with Thea towards the fast food joint. But found themselves stopped by two more individuals. "What's going on?" Asked Oliver in worry.

"Just askin' for some change, remember?" Asked the first individual as he pulled back his hood and revealed a menacing look.

"I'm afraid I don't have any right now."

"Then I guess we'll just have to make due with your two girls then, huh!?" Mr. Menacing Look asked of him as his two cohorts chuckled nastily.

"Ollie, I'm scared!"

"Its gonna be okay, Speedy, alright? I promise. Just stay with Shado, okay?" Requested Oliver as calmly as he could.

Even if on the inside he was scared shitless but he tried to keep it on the inside and not the out. So as not to frighten his baby sister anymore then what she already was. One of the figures came towards Shado and Thea and the daughter of a General quickly made short work of him with her Martial Arts skills. Only to stop short when the third figure managed to get the drop on her with a punch to the face. "SHADO!"

"Ollie! I'm scared!"

"Ah, shaddup, kid!" The third figure told her as he roughly shoved her to the ground much to Oliver's horror and growing anger.

"All ya gotta do is give us your cash and any other valuables, pal. Hell, maybe even a night with your little girlfriends there." The first figure told Oliver with a nasty grin on his face.

His friend knelt down with a sickening chuckle and laid a finger on a tearful and frightened Thea's face, an act that saw Oliver see red as he yelled out and attacked the first man. Not thinking much about what he was doing as he hit the would be robber in the face and then smashed his face right into a car door window. The last of the trio backed away in shock, not having expected things to turn out this way. "W-Whoa, man! Just calm down, okay!? We'll leave you three alone!"

His attempt to get away got him nothing as Oliver charged him and tackled him to the ground and began to punch him relentlessly. "STAY! AWAY! FROM! MY! GIRLS!" Yelled out the Queen Scion in his rage.

He paid no attention to anyone watching, even roughly pushing anyone away who tried to stop him. "OLIVER! STOP!" Cried out a highly alarmed Shado as Thea cried out to him as well before burying her face into Shado's chest to avoid looking at the scary scene before her.

Whether it was Shado's voice or his little sister's, no one had a clue of, but either way, it would make Oliver finally stop what he was doing. Allowing him to see the results of what he'd done with horrifying clarity as he stared at his handiwork and then at his bloodied hands. Sirens could be heard in the distance as a stunned and horrified Oliver continued to stare at his bloody hands in mute silence. His sister's crying perhaps the loudest thing being heard in that moment.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Wasn't how I originally planned it but seems to work regardless.**


	12. Darkness And Light

**Chapter 12**

 **Darkness And Light**

 **Disclaimer: This is something I've been looking forward to doing for some time now and is my take on a certain island scene between the two.**

* * *

 **Big Belly Burger, Half An Hour Later**

"Oliver! Thea!" Cried out Moira as she and Robert arrived on the scene at a frantic pace.

Both stopping however in aghast astonishment at seeing their son stare at his hands. His _bloody_ hands for that matter as Shado held on to Thea in her arms. At least until the young girl saw her parents and got Shado to let her go so she could go to them. "Mommy! Daddy!"

"Sweetheart! Are you okay!?" Moira asked in alarm as she wrapped her arms around her little girl as Robert came over to his son.

"Son! What happened!? Shado wasn't able to tell us much!"

Unfortunately, his son said nothing as a heavy set Detective who radiated an aura of jadedness and bad attitude came up to him and his son. "Your kid here murdered someone, Mr. Queen."

"He _defended_ us!" Argued Shado hotly.

Her opinion of the Detective sinking lower then it already was since meeting him. Another figure, a thin and lanky one with scruff on his face showed up. "Things got heated, Mr. Queen. Your son, his sister, and his girlfriend were accosted by three individuals who wanted to rob them. From there, as witnesses and your daughter and Ms. Gulong have stated, things got ugly when they escalated things."

"Malone!" Warned the first Detective.

But Billy Malone ignored him with a practiced ease with full intention of reporting his partner for his attitude. As he had been highly skeptical and derisive ever since they had shown up. Possibly making the young Ms. Queen even more terrified then what she already was thanks to his attitude. "Bottom line, Rich Man, your boy point blank beat one of the shit heads to death."

"Jenks!" Yelled Malone in irritation as Moira gasped in stunned disbelief.

"Malone! Go sit your ass in the car until I get done here, alright!?"

Malone wasn't quite so willing to do that as he got in the older man's face. "No, I won't. Because bottom line, what happened to the perp was an unfortunate situation of a heat of the moment type deal. And you and I both know it." He told him tersely.

His partner just scoffed and turned his attention to an increasingly angry Robert. "Look, I'm perfectly willin' to let this go. If of course, you make a sizeable donation to my bank account."

He was gonna make some bank tonight! Malone could only stare at the other man in shock as Robert's eyes narrowed as he got in the greedy Detective's face. "You are aware I'm one of the most powerful men in this city? Correct? And with that power, comes connections to all levels of power in this city. Including with that of Comsissioner Brian Nudocerdo?" He asked archly and making Jenks pale.

"I uhh… I uhh."

"That's exactly what I thought. But know this, _Detective_. I will be having a strong word with him tomorrow morning and you'll be lucky to be directing traffic by the time he's done with you. Because I and my family do NOT care for men like you. Frankly, I trust your partner here and the word of others more then I do yours. So no, you will NOT be making a dime from my son's unfortunate actions here. Do you understand me?"

Jenks could only nod in mute silence. Not at all liking what had just happened here. "Good. Now get out of my sight." Ordered a pissed off Robert.

The Detective hurriedly did so as the CEO turned his attention to Billy Malone. "Detective, thank you. I know its probably protocal that my son spend time behind bars for a night for something like this but I think it best if he didn't. If need be, I will go to bat for you on this so you don't get in trouble by speaking with Brian over this." He told the younger and shocked man.

"Umm… Its, its not. But since it was self defense in the end, I can swing it this time, Mr. Queen. But next time I uhh, I won't be able too." Informed the Detective seriously.

And clearly seeing that the man's son wouldn't react well to being in lock up right now after what he'd unintentionally done tonight. Robert just nodded in a thankful manner and shook hands with the man with full intention of calling Brian soon after to clear everything. With a heavy sigh, he turned towards his shell shocked son. "Alright, son, come on."

"Actually, Mr. Queen. I think it best if he came home with me tonight. You and your wife will have enough on your plate where Thea is concerned." Shado told him earnestly while nibbling on her lower lip in worry that he wouldn't listen.

Robert studied her for a moment. "You're certain of this?" He asked of her.

"I am. I think it may be beneficial to be around someone who will not possibly fear or judge him in any way tonight. Or vice versa."

Part of Moira felt gladdened her son's girlfriend was willing to do this. Even if feeling that way did make her feel a little guilty for that. Thankfully, even if part of Robert wanted to bring his son home to deal with this situation as a family, he saw the logic of Shado's words. "Alright. And Shado?"

"Yes, Mr. Queen?"

"Thank you. For being there for my son."

Shado smiled at him as she glanced momentarily at Oliver before looking back to him. "It is my honor. And I have faith he would do the same for me if the situation was reversed." She told the older man and feeling quite confident over it.

 _Never have I been more thankful for her coming into his life then I have tonight._

Robert came up to his son and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Son, though its unfortunate what happened tonight. I am none the less proud of you for defending those you love and care for." Said the man and then made his reluctant leave when it was clear his shell shocked son wasn't going to respond.

"Come on, Oliver, let's go home." Murmured Shado as she gently guided him to the car and then left for the Gulong residence.

Once there, she gently got him into her home, startling her sister and their father in the process. "Shado! What happened!?" Asked Mei of her in surprise and shock.

Shado quickly explained things in Mandarin to her family, surprising them even more. Even making Yao Fei's view of his daughter's boyfriend go up a bit higher for doing such an act. Even if it had come at a cost to his own very soul. "You were wise to bring him here, Shado. For he will need your love and care this night. And perhaps in the days and nights to come as he deals with this." Declared the retired General seriously.

His eldest nodded in agreement, having a fairly good idea of that as it is. Nothing more was said as Shado took her boyfriend up to her bedroom, thankful once more for the fact her's had her own bathroom connected to it. "Let's get your hands washed, Baobei." She murmured softly.

No reply was given, but Shado expected it as she guided Oliver to the sink in her bathroom and began to help him wash the blood off his hands. "How… How can you stand to be near me?" He asked so softly she could have missed it.

"I'm a monster now because of what I did. And Thea's probably never gonna want anything to do with me again after that. God, she's gonna have nightmares now because of what I did." Continued the young man morosely as she helped him finish cleaning off the remaining blood.

Afterwards, she grabbed his face with her hands and gently turned his head so that they could look at one another. "You are no monster, Oliver. You saved Thea and I at great cost to yourself. How things went could have just as easily happened to any other in the world. That is how I can be around you because of that. And because I love you with all of my heart, Baobei." Shado told him softly.

Her words greatly surprising him in the process, especially the declaration of love as neither had actually said those words just yet. "Your sister will not turn away from you either. She may be young but you are her brother and that's a bond that can never be broken between you two."

"I… I hope you're right, Shado, I really do. Because if I lose her, I don't know what I'd do. Hell, I'm afraid I'm gonna lose you now too because of this now. I mean… What if what I did was more then just me accidentally losing it? What if I've always been a killer deep down?"

"And you won't lose either of us, I promise you. And just because we all have demons within us, does not mean you are a killer, Oliver. In time, you will realize this and I will be there to help you through it."

He still didn't look convinced as she planted a soft kiss on his lips before speaking again. "The Dao De Jing recognizes the Yin and the Yang. Opposing forces inside all of us..."

"The darkness…" Here, she closed her eyes briefly.

"And the light."

Oliver's attention never wavering as he listened attentively to his girlfriend's words. "The killer and the hero. And you know what I see when I look at you, Oliver?"

He shook his head at her as she smiled softly at him. "I see in you the potential to be a great man. And that potential is slowly being unlocked since we first met. I see in you a potential to be a hero in some manner and I know your sister thinks of you as her own personal hero. I love you, Oliver. And I will not leave your side. What happened tonight will forever leave an impact on you, Baobei, but it can only ruin you if you allow it to do so." She told him passionately and honestly.

"You… You really believe all that?" Asked Oliver weakly and in slight disbelief.

Shado nodded with that soft smile still in place. "I do."

Never before had Oliver Queen ever felt as lucky and grateful to any person then he did that night thanks to the girl before him. A girl who had come into his life unexpectedly and change it for the better. Someone whom he had come to love a great deal. "Shado… I love you. And thank you, for, well… Everything. Especially tonight." He told her gratefully.

"You needn't ever thank me, Oliver. Life was merely kind enough to guide us to being in one another's paths that night from oh so long ago. And I will always be thankful to Life for that."

"And I'll be just as thankful as well, my love."

The two stared into one another's eyes for a long, long moment until they met in a passionate kiss. Pouring everything they had into it and losing themselves to their passions in the process. Passions that would see them finally making love for the first time in their relationship as clothing was removed from the other. Shado showing her love and support for Oliver as he showed her his love and gratefulness as they made love in the most strong and passionate way possible.

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 **Author's Notes: I was almost tempted to be a bit more descriptive of their love scene but I think the way I did things here is for the best. Hopefully the way I handled this was done pretty well. R and R!**


	13. One Talk, Two Talk

**Chapter 13**

 **One Talk,**

 **Two Talk**

 **Disclaimer: Here we go!**

* * *

 **One Month Later**

A month had passed since that horrific night outside of Big Belly Burger. But Oliver had managed to get through it one step at a time thanks in part to the ever continued support and love from Shado. Certain people saw him in a different light and kept distance from him but others didn't do it and stayed by his side. His family and friends among them. Of course, Lance had had a conniption fit when he learned his oldest still wanted to be friends with the little murdering punk. Feeling he had gotten away with the whole thing thanks to his family's money and connections when that had been far from it. As Oliver had been discretely seeing a therapist over the whole thing and even doing community service as a form of penance for his deed. True to Shado's belief, Thea didn't turn her brother away.

Instead, giving him the most bone crushing hug she could after he had shown up a day or two later at the Queen Mansion after spending a lot of time with Shado. Not just for love making mind you, but because she was a soothing balm on his mind and soul after that night. Their relationship solidifying even more thanks to her support, their first 'I love yous', and their first time together. Thea's action towards Oliver made him feel heavily relieved she still loved him and had no intention of turning away from him. Their mother hadn't been too certain of what to do or say but a hug between mother and son had certainly helped in that regard. In another life, Oliver probably would have spiraled horribly without a crap ton of love and support from those in his life.

And he was thankful as Hell this life wasn't that life in any form. His father was thankful for Shado being there for his son and even offered to pay for any expenses she may not be able to cover herself. Though she had turned it down as such a thing wasn't needed as thanks in her view. And instead, told him to provide such means to those who could truly use it. Something he was all too willing to do. "Oliver, are you willing to speak with me?" Asked Malcolm Merlyn as he appeared in the door way of the Queen Scion's bedroom.

His sudden appearance and question startled the young man from his preparations for the day ahead. "Umm… Yeah, yeah, I've got some time before I gotta head to class. What's up?"

It wasn't often Tommy's father spoke to him and he wondered what he could possibly want. _Maybe to tell me to stay away from Tommy after that night._ He thought darkly to himself.

Malcolm moved forward into the bedroom. "If you're worried I'm going to tell you to stay away from Tommy, you have no need to be. If anything, I think what happened that night has helped him grow a little." Said the man and making Oliver a little relieved.

"But I am concerned. About you, Oliver."

"No offense, but I find that a little odd coming from you."

"None taken. I know quite well my actions aren't exactly well received by some." Replied the man with little emotion to his voice.

Chief among those some being his own son but one day he would understand when he finally grew up. Something he hoped was going to happen soon as Malcolm was tired of Tommy's childishness. "But despite that, I wanted to see how you were doing. As what you went through was no doubt, an unpleasant situation. One that could break even a strong willed individual."

Oliver was quiet for a moment as he thought about what he could say. "I'm… I'm not gonna lie, it hasn't been the easiest thing but I'm getting through it. It helps to have the support of my friends and family. Especially Shado." He finally said with a soft smile where Shado was concerned.

"If it wasn't for her, I probably would be in a far worse place and I'm incredibly grateful I'm not."

Malcolm would have said something derisive about the girl in his Godson's life but kept his mouth shut. For now wasn't the time for such things. "I could further help your situation if you wanted, Oliver. It wouldn't be easy but it would make you stronger. And more able to defend those you love without going too far intentionally or not." Offered the man.

"Would it make me into someone that's cold hearted like you?"

Malcolm didn't even flinch at the question as he replied. "Perhaps. But emotion is sometimes very unnecessary as it can get in the way." He told him.

A scoff came from the Queen Scion. "Wow, no wonder Tommy feels more at home here then he does with you. But the answer is no, Uncle Malcolm. Appreciate the offer but I refuse to become something like you."

"Very well, if you choose to change your mind, you know where to find me." Replied Malcolm before making his leave.

"Yeah, fat chance of that." Muttered Oliver aloud to his empty room.

 **Later That Night**

A highly pleased and smiling Oliver made his way into the Mansion after another great night out with friends and Shado. Having chosen to celebrate after passing some recent tests of theirs. "Oliver!" Called out his dad from the living room.

Stopping him short and headed towards the living room. "Yeah, dad?" Asked the young man as he took note of the fact he was alone in there.

And looking somber for some reason. "Come and sit down with your old man, son."

Oliver did so, sensing it wasn't a suggestion as moved to sit down in front of the man. "What's up, dad? This uhh, this wouldn't happen to have anything to do with Uncle Malcolm being here earlier would it?" He wondered somewhat worriedly.

Thankfully, his dad just shook his head. "No, nothing to do with that. But if you don't mind, could you tell me what he wanted to speak with you about?"

"Just wanted to check up on me and offered to help me out with my problems. But I said no because I didn't want to be like him any." Oliver told his dad.

Robert frowned at that and decided to have a word with the other man about making offers like that to his son. "Good, that's good. Now, as for why I called you in here, I wanted to ask how're you holding up?"

Oliver would have shaken his head in exasperation but chose not too as he realized his dad was being genuinely concerned about things. "Like I told Uncle Malcolm earlier, I'm doing okay. I've got you guys, my friends, and most importantly, Shado. The support from all of you, especially her has been great. Though I do have nightmares from time to time." Informed the Queen Scion with a heavy sigh over the last part.

His dad nodded. "I… I can relate, son."

Oliver gave him a confused look. "What do you mean by that?"

He watched as his dad blew out a heavy breath. "It… It was in the early days of me getting the Steel Factory up and going. A Councilman tried to bribe me in exchange for my being able to start the place in the Glades. I… I refused him. And a fight broke out between us and I, I accidentally caused him to die when I pushed him off a ledge..." Explained Robert heavily.

And looking like he was in a completely different world as he did so. Unaware of the stunned look his son was giving him. "Its been with me ever since, haunting me."

How Malcolm had discovered what happened, he still had no clue of and hated it a great deal. Especially as it had put him under the other man's damned thumb. "Geez… I'm sorry to hear that, dad. Does, does mom know?"

His son's voice broke him from his other world and looked at his son and shook his head. "No. I've never been able to do so." He replied guiltily.

"Damn…"

"Agreed. And its why, its why I've been heavily considering shutting the place down even though I've been saying otherwise." Robert told him.

Gaining a wide eyed look of surprise from his son. "What!? Dad! You can't!" Protested Oliver heatedly.

"But its tainted! A taint I'm heavily burdened with!"

"And what, you think getting rid of the place will free you from it? Cause newsflash, dad, it won't! All it'll do is leave a shitload of people without jobs. People who _DON'T_ deserve that just because you can't handle the guilt!" Argued back the young man.

Robert flinched, not wanting to admit his son was right. "What happened to that guy was an accident, dad. Ok? You didn't do it on purpose, right?"

"Of course not! It was an accident like you said!" Came the snappy reply.

"Then you atone for it by keeping the place going. Not by shutting it down as this is about way more then you now! You'd only be feeding the dark instead of the light, dad. And I know that's the last thing you want. The guilt would only get worse!"

Things were silent for a good long while after Oliver's passionate words to his father. Words the older man thought heavily about and realized with a flash of guilt that his son was right. He would only be making things problematic for those in the Glades that depended on those jobs his company provided. His guilt would only worsen as he ruined many lifes and that was truly the last thing he wanted. Blowing out a breath, he looked at his son. "You're… You're right, son. I wouldn't be doing any good if I shut the Factory down. Not for me or those in the Glades."

"I'm glad you see that, dad. I'm especially glad you actually talked to me about this." Oliver told him.

Feeling relieved he had managed to get through to his dad. "So, what are you gonna do now?"

"I'm… I'm not sure, son. Maybe I'll talk with your mother about this. Maybe I'll see a therapist or turn myself in. I do know I feel like a piece of that weight I've felt for so long now has been lifted from me after speaking with you." Replied Robert as he sighed.

"Whatever you do, just know I'll be behind you every step of the way. And I'm sure mom and Thea will be as well."

Though a selfish part of Oliver hoped his dad wouldn't turn himself in as they didn't really need that kind of trouble in their lives. Robert gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, son, I really appreciate that."

"Hey, its what family's for from what I've heard."

Chuckles came from the older man. "I can definitely work with that." Said the man and wondering if Shado might have said something along those lines to his son.

 _Now I just need to decide where to go from here with my sin._

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 **Author's Notes: Hope folks liked the way I handled things in this chapter where the talks are concerned. Up Next: The final chapter!**


	14. Epilogue

**Chapter 14**

 **Epilogue**

 **Disclaimer: Huge, huge, HUGE thanks to every single person who's supported this story from the beginning. It has been legit appreciated. I probably could have made this into more of a slow burn story between Oliver and Shado (as had been an intention of mine) but things just didn't work out that way. And apologies to anyone who was disappointed with that not happening. Now, with that said, let's get it on!**

* * *

 **9 Years Later**

"And do you, Shado Gulong, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband until death do you part?" Asked the Minister to Shado as she stared at Oliver Queen.

The love of her life and whom she had thought lost for 5 years after he and his father had been thought to be lost in the North China Sea for five years. Oliver had gone with his father as he had wanted to have a little father/son bonding time between the two of them. Along with telling Robert about his thoughts of proposing to Shado. Wanting any advice he might have to offer. Sadly, proposing would end up having to wait much to Oliver's intense dismay as he fought to return home to his family and to Shado. Enduring Hellish trials along the way, part of which involved working for Amanda Waller as the first generation of her Task Force X group during his five years away. Of course it hadn't been the easiest time of things for Oliver and Shado once he returned from the dead.

As she had started to move on with another and that had caused a back and forth type of thing to occur for a time. But thankfully life had allowed for the two to find their way back to one another as he continued his mission as the Green Arrow. A mission she herself would join in order to make sure he got home safe and sound to not only her but his remaining family. Even encouraging him over the years to return to Starling University to finish his education and get his degree. Of which he did much to everyone's happiness, his own especially. His third year back had seen Daniel Brickwell and Ricardo Diaz try to take advantage of the city's weakened state following an attack on it made by Constantin Kovar the year before. An attack brought on by his desire for revenge against Oliver after Oliver had caused him to fail in certain plans of his for Russia during his last year believed dead.

For a time after that, Oliver and Shado had retired to a quieter life until he was needed back in Star City against a new threat. Of course, before the two had returned, he had proposed finally much to Shado's immense happiness. Though she was a little surprised as she figured he'd take a little longer but as he'd explain, he was done waiting and she could accept that. And once Damien Darhk had been taken care of with no one on the team having lost their lives, wedding planning had been quickly started. Their wedding would take place on a warm yet breezy day in late August in the back yard of the Queen Mansion with all their friends and family members in attendance. Which included the Lances as well for that matter. Sara over the years had matured and even become a good friend to Shado after Oliver's 'death' with Laurel following suit.

Even though Quentin had thought it a waste of time until he finally would have his mind changed a good long while later. A smiling Shado looked at the Minister and then at a smiling Oliver, who had taken to sporting a Goatee since his return, spoke up. "I do, because I love him more then anything and Life has shown that not even Death can keep us apart."

Never having believed in a million years that one visit to a club could have brought her this much happiness years later. But being incredibly happy it had. The Minister smiled at her before looking at the both. "Then it is my pleasure to announce Mr. and Mrs. Queen! You may now kiss the bride!"

Oliver didn't need to be told twice as he embraced his newly made wife and kissed her with all the passion he could muster as the crowd stood and cheered for the two. _I am truly on the path I am meant to be on. The one that makes me the happiest and I wouldn't have it any other way._

After the kiss, the two rested their foreheads against the other with contented sighs coming from them, almost as if no one else was in the room with them. "I love you, Shado. You've truly made my path a better one."

"And I, love you, Oliver. And it is my honor to have been the one to guide you on to this path. Just as it will be my continued honor to keep going with you on it."

The two smiled widely at one another before they met in another deep passionate kiss before making their way down the aisle and to their limousine that would take them to their next destination. A destination just for the two of them where they would enjoy their first several hours together as a newly wedded couple.

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 **Author's Notes: Kinda cheesy and short, but I think it works. Once again, huge thanks to everyone who supported this story! R and R!**


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